Making Comparisons
Making Comparisons (SDI Productions, iStockphoto)
Making Comparisons is a way of thinking about two or more objects, ideas and/or events to find out how they are the same and how they are different. Knowing this information allows students to sort, classify and organize objects, ideas and/or events, to connect prior knowledge about them to new knowledge, and to develop appropriate comparative vocabulary.
Why use it?
- To help students develop an understanding of the relationships between objects, ideas and/or events.
- To activate prior knowledge of objects, ideas and/or events.
- To use the skill of Comparing & Contrasting to explain what is the same and what is different between and among different objects, ideas and/or and events.
- To use the skill of Sorting & Classifying to make further connections between and among objects, ideas and/or events.
- To develop appropriate comparative vocabulary (e.g., that indicates a comparison or contrast, such as alike, similar, different).
Tips for success
- Encourage students to observe attributes of ideas, objects and/or events and identify those important for their purpose.
- Recognize that initially the criterion/criteria students choose to sort/classify/organize materials, objects and/or events may not what we as adults might consider a recognized class. Allow students to explain their thinking and then challenge them by providing your criterion/criteria for comparing/contrasting and classifying/organizing characteristics of materials, objects and/or events
How do I use it?
- Provoke situations where a comparison is required (e.g., put two or more versions of the same fairy tale in the class library, display life cycles of a variety of familiar animals, have a collection of similar tools for a task in a Design & Build challenge).
- Introduce the terms criterion/criteria to the students and explain that criteria are used to help us to compare/contrast the characteristics of objects, ideas and/or events to determine what is the same/different.
- Model the use of a graphic organizer like a grid chart to show students how they can sort/classify/organize the characteristics of materials, objects and/or events (see Making Comparisons examples).
- Choose two or more familiar items related to an area of student interest (e.g., objects or materials related to having a litter-free lunch).
- Ask students observe the similarities and differences among the items and record their observations using a graphic organizer.
- Ask students to identify how they made their choices in identifying where to place the items on the graphic organizer.
- Reinforce that the word criterion/criteria is the word used for these choices.
- Ask students to justify their choices of criteria.
- Discuss how criterion/criteria can help us to understand the relationship between and among two or more ideas, objects and/or events.
Variations
- Ask one student/group of students to determine criterion/criteria for some idea, objects and/or events and then have another student/group of students use these student-generated criteria to Compare & Contrast and sort & classify the items.
Related Skills